Shure Black "Olive" Foamies vs. Comply canal tips *Ultimate Showdown*

on my e500s, i prefer the olive tips. the complys mask the highs a little bit more, and i like that the olives are reusable. and they're a little more stealth, matching the e500 and all. comfort wise, it's a close call IMO

i still think yellow foamies sound best, but those don't last as long

x2
I don't like Complys on E500 totally: they sound boomy, muddy and without highs. Black Olive foamies also ruin sound, but it's not so bad. What is more, I broke 2 pairs of Complys while trying to put them on E500s.
However, yellow foamies sound just brilliant.

For Etys, where the tips are going deep in my ear, the black olives simply aren't comfortable enough (even at the smallest size), though they are convenient and produce a great seal. So its Complys for me.

For IEMs meant to seal at the entrance to the ear canal instead of deep inside, I would probably like the black olives a bit better.

I'm not a fan of either, but the Shures are definitely the better of the two as they are more durable and sound more like silicone tips.

Compy tips are a little too soft for my taste, and the isolation isn't on par with that of Shure yellow foamies or Ety black foamies for that matter. I like the yellow ones, but they die too quickly. The new black ones are quite sturdy, but they don't have that 'squashy' thing the yellow ones have. What I'm saying is that when you press the black foamie, it regaines it's normal form too quickly, compared to the yellow ones. In the end, they last longer, that's what matters really. I can just pop the black ones in my ear without actually compressing them, they press against my ear, thus creating a seal. Yellow foamies are too 'sturdy' in that regard, if you use them too much, they don't regain their orginal shape (like new ones) any longer, and they feel 'edgy', as in sand rubbing against your skin, and you get virtually no seal that new foamies can deliver.

As for sound, everything sounds the same, from a variety of flanges to foamies.

Another plea for where to buy new black foamies in UK or online

Hmm.. I've a question.. According to my experience, foam sleeves get dirty quite easily as comapred to the other tips.. Well, if the foam sleeves are yellow or orange in colour, it'll be very easy to know how dirty they are after using them for some time. So.. If the foam sleeves are black in colour, as in the case of the new Shure's black "olive" foamies, how would one know how much dirt they have accumulated to decide to give them a good "bath" ???

With my UM1, the comply tips don't seal at all. The tips of the long complies actually get pinched closed and cut off all sound. I have to use large Shure tips to get a seal and sound.

With my im716, I can get a seal with the long complies, but the medium black foamies are more comfortable.

The dirt/dust/wax that builds up is evident simply by looking closely at the foam. It's kind of like what a dirty soft flex sleeve looks like.

Where do you get those Shure Black "Olive"? I visited Shure and Amazon, can't find them.

X3